English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 08/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Circumcision of the child, John: Zacharias, was full of the Holy Spirit, and with the voice of a prophet said these words: Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and made them free
Luke 01/57-80: Now it was time for Elisabeth to give birth, and she had a son. And it came to the ears of her neighbours and relations that the Lord had been very good to her, and they took part in her joy. And on the eighth day they came to see to the circumcision of the child, and they would have given him the name of Zacharias, his father's name; But his mother made answer and said, No, his name is John. And they said, Not one of your relations has that name. And they made signs to his father, to say what name was to be given to him. And he sent for writing materials and put down: His name is John; and they were all surprised. And straight away his mouth was open and his tongue was free and he gave praise to God. And fear came on all those who were living round about them: and there was much talk about all these things in all the hill-country of Judaea. And all who had word of them kept them in their minds and said, What will this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him. And his father, Zacharias, was full of the Holy Spirit, and with the voice of a prophet said these words: Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and made them free, Lifting up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, (As he said, by the mouth of his holy prophets, from the earliest times,) Salvation from those who are against us, and from the hands of those who have hate for us; To do acts of mercy to our fathers and to keep in mind his holy word, The oath which he made to Abraham, our father, That we, being made free from the fear of those who are against us, might give him worship, In righteousness and holy living before him all our days. And you, child, will be named the prophet of the Most High: you will go before the face of the Lord, to make ready his ways; To give knowledge of salvation to his people, through the forgiveness of sins, Because of the loving mercies of our God, by which the dawn from heaven has come to us, To give light to those in dark places, and in the shade of death, so that our feet may be guided into the way of peace. And the child became tall, and strong in spirit; and he was living in the waste land till the day when he came before the eyes of Israel.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 07-08/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Mikati Should Be Prosecuted for Treason Over His Statement on the Need for National Consensus to Disarm Hezbollah/Elias Bejjani/December 07/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: Naim Qassem's Speech: Delusions, Illusions, Denial, Deception, Cunning, and an Attempt to Subvert the Ceasefire Agreement/Elias Bejjani/December 05/2024
Syria and the New Realities/Colonel Charbel Barakat/December 08/2024
Israeli strikes on southern Lebanese villages kill six, Lebanese health ministry says
Israelis Wary of Lebanon Truce Trickle Back to Damaged Homes
Syria rebels enter Damascus as army and security forces withdraw from airport
Hezbollah withdraws forces from Homs, Damascus outskirts
Lebanese government approves a plan to deploy more troops along the Israeli border
Lebanon closes all its land border crossings with Syria except one
Hezbollah sends '2,000 fighters' to Syria's Qusayr
Israel's army claims to target Hezbollah operative in South Lebanon, cites 'ceasefire violation'
Israel targets motorcycle in Deir Seryan, South Lebanon; driver killed
US urged to bolster Lebanese army as Syria crisis 'hampers' Hezbollah, says US envoy Hochstein
Lebanon's PM Mikati heading to Vatican next week, sources tell LBCI
‘Stability and reconstruction of southern Lebanon key to regional stability’: PM
Tyre's session highlights: Lebanon’s Cabinet focuses on tactical steps to secure ceasefire
Lebanon ceasefire: Back to the future, but is it a better on/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/December 07, 2024

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 07-08/2024
The criminal Baathist Assad regime has fallen and Assad has fled
"Factions" announce the overthrow of the "tyrant" and Damascus is a "free city"
Damascus in the grip of the "factions" and Assad leaves by air... and the army announces the "fall of the regime"
Syrian Prime Minister: We are ready to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the people
Syrian army command tells officers that Assad's rule has ended
Syrian insurgents say they have entered Damascus as residents of capital report sounds of gunfire
Syria rebels enter strategic city of Homs
Golan Heights tension: Israel breaches Syrian border to create buffer zone, reinforces troops
Iran FM urges 'political dialogue' between Syria govt., opposition
Syrian protesters topple statue of Syrian president's father south of Damascus city, residents and activists say
Syrian troops withdraw from the south of the country as they rush to defend Homs
Trump says US should stay out of fighting in Syria as opposition forces gain ground
At least 20 killed in Gaza as Qatar voices hope for ceasefire

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on December 07-08/2024
Make Persia Great Again/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute./December 7, 2024
Peace dividend: 80 years of US-Saudi relations/Jonathan Gornall/Arab News/December 07, 2024
‘Britain is back’ as trade horizons widen/Andrew Hammond/Arab News/December 07, 2024
Seaweed as a workhorse of the regenerative blue economy/Carlos Duarte/Arab News/December 07, 2024

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 07-08/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Mikati Should Be Prosecuted for Treason Over His Statement on the Need for National Consensus to Disarm Hezbollah
Elias Bejjani/December 07/2024
Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s current Prime Minister, has once again proven himself a pliable tool in the hands of Hezbollah—a terrorist, Iranian, and jihadist armed militia. Through its war with Israel, Hezbollah has exposed Lebanon and its people to unprecedented destruction, losses, and casualties, all to serve Iran’s dictates and advance the mullahs’ destructive, expansionist, and colonialist project.
Mikati’s government, which is effectively a 100% Hezbollah-controlled entity, unanimously approved the ceasefire agreement with Israel, brokered under U.S. supervision. This agreement was a necessary step to halt the bloodshed and devastation Hezbollah had inflicted on Lebanon through its reckless war against the state of Israel. The agreement explicitly mandated the termination of Hezbollah’s military presence across all Lebanese territories and the implementation of international resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680. These resolutions obligate Lebanon to disarm all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias and extend the authority of the Lebanese state, through its legitimate forces, over the entire country.
Yet, in a brazen display of duplicity, Mikati shocked everyone on the 5th of this month with a statement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, claiming that disarming Hezbollah requires “national consensus.” This impractical and illegal condition is clearly intended to perpetuate Hezbollah’s armed dominance over Lebanon and maintain its occupation of the country. His statement constitutes treachery against the agreement he himself and his pro Hezbollah government endorsed, which Hezbollah had accepted through its intermediary, House Speaker Nabih Berri.
Moreover, this stance flagrantly contradicts the Lebanese Constitution and the Taif Accord, both of which mandate the disarmament of all militias, Lebanese and non-Lebanese, and the re-establishment of state authority over the entirety of Lebanese territory through its legitimate forces—a principle enshrined in Lebanon’s international commitments.
Mikati’s bizarre stance is not only illegal but also reveals his blatant political hypocrisy. This Iscariot politician is known for his corruption and the illicit accumulation of wealth. It is worth mentioning that he has a dubious history, including business partnerships with the family of the Syrian butcher Bashar al-Assad. It was the Syrian Assad regime that imposed him on Lebanon’s political scene to serve its interests. Meanwhile, let us not forget that Mikati was the Prime Minister of the “black shirts” government following Hezbollah’s and Michel Aoun's Judas-like coup against Saad Al-Hariri’s government, in breach of the Doha Agreement.
There is no shred of doubt that Mikati’s position on Hezbollah’s arms and his insistence on linking their removal to national consensus are entirely unacceptable by any means. This stance serves Hezbollah and Iran’s interests at the expense of Lebanon’s sovereignty and the security of its people. It also blatantly contradicts the Constitution, UN resolutions 1559, 1701, 1680, and the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
This man, Mikati, who repeatedly demonstrates that he is merely a tool in the hands of the Iranian armed, terrorist, jihadist proxy that has devastated Lebanon and impoverished its people, must be prosecuted on treason charges.
In summary, Lebanon cannot rise as long as traitors, mercenaries, Iscariots, and corrupt individuals like Mikati, Berri, Aoun, Bassil, and all their ilk hold power.

Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: Naim Qassem's Speech: Delusions, Illusions, Denial, Deception, Cunning, and an Attempt to Subvert the Ceasefire Agreement
Elias Bejjani/December 05/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/12/137626/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuO6LVRpm1c&t=173s
Sheikh Naim Qassem's recent televised appearance was a disappointing display of rhetoric and deception. His speech, filled with baseless claims and inflammatory language, insulted the intelligence of the Lebanese people. Rather than acknowledging the reality of Hezbollah's defeat and the necessity of the ceasefire agreement, Qassem attempted to undermine the agreement and perpetuate a dangerous illusion of victory.
The content of Qassem's speech, like all Hezbollah leaders' statements and stances since the party's inception in 1982, is a bundle of lies, baseless rhetoric, delusional fantasies, and sectarian, inflammatory propaganda. This rhetoric promotes hatred, distorts history, and serves the interests of the Iranian mullah regime's expansionist, imperialist, and terrorist schemes and sickening dreams.
Qassem's primary tactic was to downplay the significance of the ceasefire. He falsely claimed that the agreement was limited to the area south of the Litani River and only concerned the implementation of UN Resolution 1701. This is a deliberate misrepresentation of the agreement's terms, which clearly encompass all of Lebanon and mandate the disarmament of Hezbollah.
By denying the comprehensive nature of the agreement, Qassem seeks to maintain Hezbollah's military capabilities and its ability to disrupt Lebanon's stability. This strategy is not only a threat to Lebanon's security but also a direct challenge to the international community's efforts to promote peace and stability in the region.
With absurdity and falsification, he asserted that the other resolutions, 1559 and 1680, lack enforcement mechanisms and are solely under the jurisdiction of the Lebanese state and its army. This is blatantly false. The agreement unequivocally covers all of Lebanon, mandates the dissolution of Hezbollah, the handover of its weapons to the Lebanese Army, and restricts the possession of arms to state entities, as explicitly stipulated in the Taif Agreement, which is enshrined in Lebanon's constitution.
Some may wonder why Hezbollah agreed to an accord that undermines its very existence and exposes its false claims about resistance, liberation, and its grandiose slogans of "throwing Israel into the sea" and "praying in Jerusalem." The answer is simple: the party faced a crushing defeat against Israel and had no other option but to surrender.
However, true to its nature, Hezbollah and its Iranian patrons specialize in deceit, duplicity, and reneging on agreements. Despite their defeat and the unprecedented calamity they have brought upon Lebanon's Shiite community and the nation at large, they mistakenly believe they can once again evade the agreement and renege on its provisions that do not align with their sinister and expansionist agenda. Qassem's speech falls squarely within this context.
Neither Hezbollah, nor its Iranian sponsors, nor any faction of political Islam, whether Sunni or Shiite, understand anything other than the language of force. If they are not deterred by power and compelled to fully and strictly adhere to the terms of the ceasefire agreement, they will inevitably revert to deceit, noncompliance, and attempts to rebuild and recover everything they have lost.
To ensure that the ceasefire holds and that Lebanon can move towards a more peaceful future, the international community must remain vigilant and hold Hezbollah accountable for its actions. Any attempt by Hezbollah to undermine the agreement must be met with a strong and decisive response.

Syria and the New Realities
Colonel Charbel Barakat/December 08/2024
(Freely translated from Arabic and quoted by Elias Bejjani, editor and publisher of the LCCC website)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/12/137763/
Introduction
Colonel Charbel Barakat, a retired Lebanese Army officer, historian, terrorism expert, and author of numerous works on Lebanon, the Iranian regime’s schemes, and jihadist movements, has testified multiple times before the U.S. Congress on critical issues, including Iranian and Syrian terrorism, the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, jihadist threats, and the pursuit of Middle East peace.
Colonel Charbel Barakat,  shared his analysis today on the evolving events in Syria and their far-reaching implications for Lebanon, Iran, and the broader region. He explained: “The rapid developments in Syria underscore that the Assad regime has entered a critical phase of decline. Major cities have fallen swiftly, and areas surrounding the Syrian capital are now aligning with opposition forces. These forces have demonstrated remarkable organization and strategic planning, indicating that they know precisely what they are doing. In contrast, the regime and its Iranian allies, who initially promised unwavering support, have begun withdrawing key leadership elements rather than reinforcing their collapsing frontlines.”
Barakat added that these shifts raise pressing questions about the region's future and potential transformations. He noted: “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stern warning to Assad during his ceasefire announcement was both explicit and forceful. Furthermore, the visit of the head of Israel’s Shin Bet to Turkey for discussions with Turkish officials signals a coordinated international and regional approach regarding Syria’s future and its role in countering Iran’s expansionist agenda.”
He stressed that Israel’s patience with Iran’s regional interference—spanning Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen—has reached its limit. Barakat said: “The recent ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ operation highlights the devastating consequences of Iran’s reach for Israel. Israel’s year-long war with Hezbollah, characterized by unparalleled aggression and determination, was a necessary step to dismantle Hezbollah’s image and limit its influence. This difficult but essential action has set the stage for serious efforts toward a natural peace that ensures stability for all regional peoples.”
Discussing the Syrian opposition’s growing control, Barakat observed: “The opposition’s focus on addressing the suffering of the Syrian people—whether within Syria, in exile, or in areas dominated by Assad’s regime and Iranian militias—indicates a potential turning point for the country. The international community’s attempts to resolve Syria’s crisis through UN Security Council Resolution 2254, adopted unanimously in 2015, called for a ceasefire and a political settlement. This included UN-mediated negotiations between the opposition and regime representatives, aiming for a new constitution and a peaceful transfer of power. Yet, the regime, emboldened by Iran’s support, dismissed these efforts outright.”
He further explained that the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran has increased pressure for regional change, effectively ending a status quo that served only Damascus and Tehran. Barakat said: “Today, during the temporary ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian regime, Syria stands on the brink of transformation. As Assad’s regime collapses, new understandings among Syria’s communities and regions could emerge, fostering stability, the return of refugees, and reconstruction efforts to rebuild what war and hatred have destroyed.”
Turning to Lebanon, Barakat warned: “Hezbollah clings to its illusions, attempting to bypass agreements and regain dominance in Lebanon. The party tries to convince the public it can fund reconstruction and compensate its displaced supporters. However, with Iran’s financial support dwindling, these claims ring hollow.”
He urged Lebanese leaders and the Shiite community to abandon these delusions. He stated: “The bitter experiences of the past should serve as lessons for future generations. It is time to avoid further calamities and seize available opportunities for progress and development.”
Barakat concluded: *“Hezbollah is a relic of the past, as is the Assad regime, and the Iranian regime will inevitably follow. Let us learn from these experiences and move toward cooperation in peacebuilding and reconstruction rather than perpetuating hatred and destruction.
The Shiite community in Lebanon must renounce arrogance and divisive rhetoric, embracing equality within Lebanon’s diverse society. Together, we have endured hardships and achieved success through collaboration. It is time to face reality, turn setbacks into opportunities, and reclaim a constructive role in rebuilding dignity and peace. When peace prevails, and its banners are raised high, true prosperity will follow for all.”

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanese villages kill six, Lebanese health ministry says
Reuters/December 7, 2024
Israeli strikes on two southern Lebanese villages killed six people and wounded five, the Lebanese health ministry said on Saturday, in the latest potential challenge to a fragile ceasefire that has been in place for less than two weeks. Five people were killed in an attack on Beit Lif village while one person was killed in a drone strike on Deir Seryan, the health ministry said in a statement. The Israeli military has yet to comment on the incidents. Tensions have persisted despite the ceasefire, with Israel and the Lebanese armed faction Hezbollah trading accusations of violations. Earlier this week, Israel threatened to return to war if its truce with Hezbollah collapsed. The U.S. said last Monday that the ceasefire was holding, although it anticipated that there might be violations.

Israelis Wary of Lebanon Truce Trickle Back to Damaged Homes
Ethan Bronner/Bloomberg/December 7, 2024
-- The school is out of commission — hit by heavy shrapnel in July. Some homes are boarded up from direct hits. The avocado orchards have lost many hectares from fires sparked by missiles. But Kibbutz Dafna, an Israeli farming community two kilometers (1 mile) from the Lebanese border, is giving off a tentative air of hope just now, as a ceasefire with Lebanon that began Nov. 27 is largely holding. “Listen to that silence,” said Major David Baruch as he stood in front of Dafna’s administrative offices, wearing no helmet or protective gear. “It hasn’t been heard in 14 months.”The US- and French-brokered deal started a 60-day transition during which Israel and the Hezbollah militia agreed to silence their guns. In addition, Hezbollah would pull its forces some 30 kilometers north of the border, Israeli troops would return home, replaced by Lebanese and international peacekeepers. And the tens of thousands of residents forced out on both sides would slowly return. The start was rough. Israel repeatedly fired at Hezbollah forces it said were violating the accord’s terms. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati complained to Washington and Paris that Israel breached the agreement at least 60 times. And the other day Hezbollah fired mortars, prompting Israel to hit back at its forces across Lebanon. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said more such violations would lead Israel to stop distinguishing between the militia and the state of Lebanon. Hezbollah, designated as a terrorist group by the US, has held its fire.
One problem was that Hezbollah and Lebanese officials failed to make it sufficiently clear to residents that they shouldn’t move back just yet because the Israeli forces were still in place. Many Lebanese raced home right after the deal was announced.
Israeli residents of the north, lodged for over a year at government expense in hotels and temporary housing, were told to wait, and they have.
The other big difference between the two sides is the extent of death and damage. Whole swaths of southern Lebanon have been reduced to rubble by the Israeli air force and ground troops, and at least 3,000 Lebanese are dead, many of them civilians. In Israel, the destruction is more contained and the death toll is around 70.“In the villages close to the border, we found tunnels and bunkers and battle plans, and destroyed them extensively,” Major Baruch said. Never — not in the 1948 War of Independence or the 1973 Yom Kippur War — had Kibbutz Dafna, founded in 1939, been evacuated before October 2023. It was a sign of how traumatized the country was when thousands of Hamas operatives poured into southern Israel, killing and kidnapping. The subsequent war in Gaza has killed about 44,000 people, according to the enclave’s Hamas-run health authority, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
“When we saw that, we feared Hezbollah would do the same here, so when we were told to evacuate we did,” said Arik Yaacovi, who manages Dafna. The community’s 1,050 residents have earned a living through farming, solar energy and tourism in one of the most bucolic and prized areas in Israel. The order went out at 6:30 am on Oct. 16 and by 4 pm everyone was gone. Among them was Orit Praag, 69, who was born on the kibbutz and whose parents were among its founders. This week she was walking around the community’s grounds in a way she’d been unable to do for 14 months.
“Until a week or two ago, you couldn’t stand right here,” she said in front of her son’s house, whose windows were boarded up after being broken when the house next door took a direct hit last summer. “My grandchildren are coming back to spend the night at our house for the first time since we all left.”School principal Ravit Rosental said it will be a while before the pupils can return because of the damage to the building’s roof. They’ve been studying 40 kilometers away in a converted factory and many students and teachers have grappled with intense emotional turmoil.
“I’m talking about addiction, alcohol, sleeplessness,” she said outside the school building. Manager Yaacovi said he hasn’t talked to a single kibbutz family that doesn’t plan to come back. “Still,” he said, “It will take a generation for a sense of security to return.”A 10-minute drive west is the town of Kiryat Shmona, most of whose 24,000 residents were also evacuated at the start of the war. Yotam Degani, a city official, said it had never occurred to anyone that an evacuation would be ordered and there was no plan in place when the order came.
“Over years we’d grown used to being shelled,” he said, “and we have probably more bomb shelters per capita than any city in the world — 431 public bomb shelters. Yet almost everyone left when the order came. This year alone we’ve had 1,500 direct hits, 1,000 houses damaged or totaled.” Ahi Natan’s family compound was one of those damaged. As he showed a visitor around, the 35-year-old married musician was asked for his view of the ceasefire and the future. “Here’s what I know,” he said. “Ceasefire or no ceasefire, my sons are going to be fighting in Lebanon. And their sons are going to be fighting in Gaza. We know how they feel about us. They want us dead. And no matter what, we’re not leaving.”
--With assistance from Julius Domoney.

Syria rebels enter Damascus as army and security forces withdraw from airport
Agence France Presse/December 07/2024
Islamist-led rebels announced Sunday they had started entering the Syrian capital Damascus, where residents told AFP they heard heavy gunfire.
"Our forces started entering Damascus," Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) said on Telegram. The Syrian military and security forces meanwhile left Damascus airport, a war monitor said.Sources from the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported officers and soldiers of government forces withdrew from Damascus International Airport, as residents in the capital told AFP they heard gunfire in the city.

Hezbollah withdraws forces from Homs, Damascus outskirts
Agence France Presse/December 07/2024
Hezbollah is pulling its forces from the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus and the Homs area, a source close to the Lebanese group said Sunday, as their ally President Bashar al-Assad faces a rebel offensive. The group "has instructed its fighters in recent hours to withdraw from the Homs area, with some heading to Latakia (in Syria) and others to the Hermel area in Lebanon," the source told AFP, noting that "Hezbollah fighters have also vacated their positions around Damascus."

Lebanese government approves a plan to deploy more troops along the Israeli border
Associated Press/December 07/2024
Lebanon’s government has approved a plan to deploy more troops along the border with Israel, part of the ceasefire deal that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war.
In a rare Cabinet meeting outside of Beirut, held Saturday at a military base in the southern port city of Tyre, the government also approved a draft law to reconstruct buildings destroyed during the Israel-Hezbollah war that broke out in October 2023 and ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire last week. Caretaker Information Minister Ziad Makary told reporters after the meeting that the committee whose job is to monitor the ceasefire that went into effect on Nov. 27 will hold its first meeting on Monday. The committee is made up of military officials from the U.S., France, Israel and Lebanon as well as the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed along the border. As part of the ceasefire deal, during the first 60 days Israeli troops will have to withdraw from Lebanon, while Hezbollah will have to pull its heavy weapons away from the border area to north of the Litani river. The Lebanese Army said this week it will begin recruiting more soldiers, apparently to deploy them along the border with Israel.

Lebanon closes all its land border crossings with Syria except one
Associated Press/December 07/2024
Lebanon’s General Security Directorate said the country is closing all land border crossing with Syria except for a main one that links Beirut with the Syrian capital Damascus. The decision by the security agency in charge of border crossings came hours after an Israeli airstrike damaged the Arida border crossing with Syria in north Lebanon, days after it was reopened. “Border crossings will be closed until further notice for the safety of travelers,” the agency said in a statement posted on X. It said that the only border crossing that will be kept open is Masnaa in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. Lebanon’s state news agency said Friday the airstrike on the Arida crossing caused heavy material damage and cut the road. The Israeli military said fighter jets attacked the border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, adding that they were used to transfer munitions for Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Hezbollah sends '2,000 fighters' to Syria's Qusayr
Agence France Presse/December 07/2024
A source close to Hezbollah said Saturday that the group sent 2,000 fighters to a part of Syria near the border with Lebanon, as ally Damascus reels from a rebel offensive that has seized major cities in recent days. "Hezbollah sent 2,000 fighters to the Qusayr area... to defend its positions there and has not yet participated in any battles" with Syrian rebels, the source told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Israel's army claims to target Hezbollah operative in South Lebanon, cites 'ceasefire violation'
LBC/December 07/2024
In the past 24 hours, the Israeli army claimed to have operated in southern Lebanon in response to several activities "posing a threat to the State of Israel," military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on Saturday.
"Earlier today, an air force aircraft targeted a Hezbollah operative spotted in southern Lebanon, who posed a threat to army forces stationed in the area, violating the agreement between Israel and Lebanon," Adraee alleged in a post on X.
"The Israeli army remains committed to the understandings reached regarding the ceasefire in Lebanon. The military is deployed in southern Lebanon and is working to remove any threats to the State of Israel and its citizens," he concluded.

Israel targets motorcycle in Deir Seryan, South Lebanon; driver killed
LBCI/December 07/2024
Israeli aircraft, using a drone, targeted a motorcycle in the village of Deir Seryan, southern Lebanon, resulting in the death of the driver, according to the National News Agency.

US urged to bolster Lebanese army as Syria crisis 'hampers' Hezbollah, says US envoy Hochstein
LBCI/December 07/2024
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein stated that the situation in Syria is weakening Hezbollah, as it complicates Iran's ability to send weapons into the country. He also clarified that while Hezbollah has not been defeated, it may lack the strength to attack Israel or assist Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The group "may not be strong enough to fight Israel or to support Assad, but it doesn't take a lot of strength to be a dominant presence in Lebanon, so you can also be weakened and still strong at the same time when it comes to the Lebanese context," Hochstein said, as cited by Reuters.
Hochstein emphasized that Washington must increase its support for the Lebanese army, urging others to follow suit in strengthening the military’s capabilities.
Speaking during the Doha Forum on Saturday, he said that the collapse of the Syrian army was not "that big of a surprise," noting that in the past, two great powers, referring to Iran and Russia, came "to its aid in a very strong way."

Lebanon's PM Mikati heading to Vatican next week, sources tell LBCI
LBCI/December 07/2024
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati is set to travel to the Vatican next week, sources confirmed to LBCI. While details of the visit have not been disclosed, the trip comes amid ongoing political challenges in Lebanon, as well as heightened regional tensions.

‘Stability and reconstruction of southern Lebanon key to regional stability’: PM
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/December 07, 2024
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Cabinet on Saturday approved the deployment of the army south of the Litani River during an exceptional meeting at a military base in Tyre.The plan is “part of a broader strategy that aims to ensure security in southern areas adjacent to the border with Israel,” Information Minister Ziad Makary said. He added that the army had begun sending its forces to the south.“However, the military institution needs additional support in terms of personnel and supplies, as well as modern equipment, to carry out its duties effectively,” Makary said. The decision came 10 days after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect following a destructive two-month war. The ministers met in the Benoit Barakat barracks in the coastal city of Tyre, south of the Litani. They were briefed by Lebanese Army chief Joseph Aoun, who delivered a presentation on strengthening the army’s deployment.Ministers discussed a draft law to rebuild destroyed homes, put in place an agriculture damage survey mechanism and remove rubble created by Israeli raids in the south, Bekaa, as well  as Beirut and its southern suburbs.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to UN Resolution 1701 in a statement delivered before the ministers.He said that the Lebanese Army would uphold the resolution south of the Litani River, in cooperation and coordination with the UNIFIL, as it is the basis for the ceasefire and Israel’s withdrawal from “our occupied land.”He said: “We are kilometers from the ongoing operations of Israel’s army and its repetitive ceasefire violations.“We are also near the location of the committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of the arrangements agreed upon under US and French guarantees.”
Mikati called on the international community, primarily the entities overseeing the security arrangements, to put an end to Israeli violations of the ceasefire. He paid tribute to slain Lebanese Army soldiers and those who sacrificed themselves for the country. “All the threats and attacks aiming to confuse or push us to change our national beliefs and choices will not scare us,” he said.“We fully trust the wise army command, which assumes considerable responsibilities with professionalism, discipline and ethics, preserving every inch of our territory and safeguarding our national sovereignty.”
Mikati said that stability in the south and its reconstruction are key to stability in the Middle East, which will only return to security and safety through the implementation of international resolutions.Makary said after the meeting that the Lebanese Army commander informed the ministers that the debris and ruins of destroyed buildings will be removed, along with the cleaning of areas in the south from cluster bombs.The army will also deploy along the northern and eastern borders of Syria and take appropriate measures in response to events in the country, he added. The cabinet allocated 4 trillion Lebanese pounds ($44 million) for the removal of debris, rubble and cluster munitions.It is part of a comprehensive plan to restore the regions impacted by the war. Mikati and the ministers, accompanied by Aoun, toured several military centers in Shawakir and Qleileh, as well as the headquarters of the Fifth Brigade in Bayada. They met military personnel at the Qleileh center who were injured during an Israeli airstrike on the facility. Also on Saturday, Israeli forces that penetrated the Lebanese border area continued their violations of the ceasefire agreement.
A military drone targeted a motorcycle in the town of Deir Siriane, killing its rider.
The Lebanese Army is observing the activities of Israeli forces in Kfar Kila and Khiam, where soldiers are demolishing buildings and residences. In other developments, Wadad Halawani, the head of the Committee of Families of Kidnapped and Disappeared in Lebanon, addressed a press conference on Friday.
It followed developments in neighboring Syria and the long-running issue of missing and abducted Lebanese citizens. Halawani called on the Lebanese state to assume its responsibilities on the issue. She called for the establishment of a joint emergency committee that includes the relevant ministerial, security and judicial bodies, and the National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared. Its goal should be to negotiate with Syrian parties to identify released people and ensure their safe return to their families in Lebanon, along with providing health care and psychological support.
“What was circulated on social media concerning the release of a Lebanese among the prisoners who were freed from the Hama central prison stirred the emotions of the families of the missing,” Halawani said. She added that Ali Hassan Al-Ali from Akkar — arrested by Syrian forces in 1986 and not seen until this week — appeared in a social media clip asking an activist who filmed him how to reach his family in Lebanon. Halawani added that several Syrian organizations are following up on the issue of detainees and missing people. The Syrian state had repeatedly denied that Lebanese political prisoners were jailed in the country, she added. The most recent denial came from President Bashar Assad and former foreign minister Walid Muallem.

Tyre's session highlights: Lebanon’s Cabinet focuses on tactical steps to secure ceasefire
LBCI/December 07/2024
In a clear message of support for the Lebanese army in implementing the ceasefire agreement, the Cabinet held an exceptional session in Tyre, specifically at the Benoit Barakat Barracks, named after an officer who was killed in Arsal in 1958.
What made this barracks the chosen location for the session? The city of Tyre, which suffered significant damage during the Israeli war on Lebanon, experienced major destruction in its neighborhoods and buildings. During the session, Army Commander General Joseph Aoun presented the military's plan to implement the ceasefire agreement, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. Ministerial sources said the presentation was technical and confidential. LBCI sources reported that attendees expressed regret over the absence of Defense Minister Maurice Sleem, who did not attend the session due to political reasons. They further added that communication between the Prime Minister’s office and Sleem remains open, with "coordination ongoing."Meanwhile, in recent remarks, Hezbollah's Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem stated that the agreement with Israel pertains only to Hezbollah's weapons south of the Litani River. Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati, however, confirmed in a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the issue of disarmament requires national consensus, reworking the terms of the ceasefire agreement.Additionally, sources confirmed to LBCI that the current government is responsible for implementing the agreement south of the Litani River until a new president is elected and a government is formed to handle the agreement's full implementation across Lebanon. While awaiting developments in the political process, attention is focused on the monitoring committee, which will begin its meetings next week.

Lebanon ceasefire: Back to the future, but is it a better on
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/December 07, 2024
The ink has barely dried on the ceasefire agreement to end the war in Lebanon and both sides have already violated it, blaming each other for initiating these violations. These might be teething problems — after all, old habits die hard — or a way of sending early warnings that this time no hostile act will go unpunished. It has taken nearly 14 months of hostilities, thousands of people killed, many of them civilians, devastation, displacement, and suffering for both Israel and Lebanon — although Israel’s war was with Hezbollah — to get back to exactly where the 2006 war ended and agree to almost the exact terms of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 that ended the war back then. Philosophically, it makes one contemplate the sorry state of humankind, as so much destruction and misery could have been avoided. Politically speaking, the questions that remain are whether this time the agreed 60-day ceasefire could turn into a permanent one, and whether this could also bring the war in Gaza to an end, or actually prolong it. Both sides were quick to declare victory and leave their options open. In reality, neither side is defeated, although of the two Hezbollah has suffered the heavier losses, with its top leadership killed, including long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah, and its military capabilities degraded. However, Israel cannot ignore the fact that for more than a year Hezbollah gained a strategic achievement in keeping northern Israel nearly empty and more than 60,000 of the region’s inhabitants displaced, living in temporary accommodation and still not feeling safe enough to return to their homes. In Lebanon, it is estimated that roughly 1.4 million people have been uprooted by the conflict, and although thousands headed back home as soon as the ceasefire was announced, they did so for lack of an available alternative.
Reflecting on the war, there is a general agreement that Nasrallah miscalculated Israel’s vulnerability on Oct. 7, when the country was caught by surprise by the Hamas attack, and then joining on the following day a sort of war of attrition that was enough to eventually trigger Israel to respond on a large scale. While the lack of preparedness for the Hamas attack demonstrated a total perceptual and intelligence failure that led to operational disaster, in the case of Hezbollah, Israel had accurate intelligence on the location of its entire leadership and much of its missile arsenal, and possessed the military plans and capabilities to take much of it out.
Both sides agreed to a ceasefire because of the political and military price of continuing the conflict. Hezbollah found itself in an inferior military position, and under severe domestic and international pressure. The Israeli government also responded to similar pressures, although in this case there was at least domestic counter-pressure to continue the war with Hezbollah until the elusive “total victory”; and as Netanyahu himself alluded to, the Israeli army needed time to regroup and to restock ammunition.
Both sides were quick to declare victory and leave their options open. UN Security Council Resolution 1701 was the right remedy back in 2006, and if adhered to still provides a recipe to keep the Israeli-Lebanese conflict quiet, as in principle it creates a buffer zone not between Israel and Lebanon, but between Israel and Hezbollah, through the deployment of Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers to southern Lebanon, excluding both the Israeli army and Hezbollah from the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River. However, this, like any other agreement, is only as good as the commitment of all signatories to its terms, and this is far from being guaranteed. Unlike the situation in the years leading up to 2023, it is now for the US, France, and UNIFIL, as guarantors of this agreement, to hold the sides to account should they violate it.
For Hezbollah to remain relevant in Lebanese politics, it must at least maintain the pretense of resistance to Israel and of being the “defender” of Lebanon. For Israel, there is a clear interest in maintaining a quiet border with Lebanon that enables the displaced to return, but at the same prevents Hezbollah from rearming or digging tunnels deep into Israel. UN Security Council Resolution 1701 also incorporates Resolution 1559, which states that all armed militias should be disarmed, a resolution which will be fulfilled only when Hezbollah dismantles its military capabilities, although in all probability this will not happen. It is also the case that in light of the fragile Lebanese political system and of Lebanon currently having a caretaker government with limited authority, questions remain over whether it would be able, despite being genuinely willing, to force Hezbollah to comply with the agreement.
But there is also another aspect to this ceasefire agreement: How will it affect the war in Gaza? By Hezbollah’s decoupling of the two fronts, Hamas has been put in an inferior position both militarily and politically in its negotiations with Israel. Moreover, with the ultranationalist-religious parties calling the shots within the Israeli government, there is no mood for any kind of compromise, especially as the end of the war in Lebanon would ease the pressure on both its regular army, but more importantly mainly on its reserve forces.
The most likely scenario is that instead of a ceasefire with Hezbollah being a step toward ending the war in Gaza, and with it the end of the unimaginable suffering of millions of Palestinians, and of the hostages and their families, Israel is entrenching its presence in the enclave, and as was suggested by former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, intends to ethnically cleanse the north of Gaza. Moreover, leaders of the settler movement in the West Bank have already been allowed to identify locations for building settlements. While there are those in different international corridors of power who are working on plans to govern Gaza after the war, ensuring it is under Palestinian rule with international support, the Israeli government seems to have a completely different plan, one that entails reoccupying at least parts of the Gaza Strip and, if we are to believe Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, “encouraging” half its population to leave. A ceasefire along the Israeli-Lebanese border is one of the few positive developments in the region for more than a year. It should not be allowed to become a catalyst for prolonging the tragedy of the war in Gaza.
• Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 07-08/2024
The criminal Baathist Assad regime has fallen and Assad has fled
Agencies/December 8, 2024
The Assad regime has fallen and the Syrian army and the Syrian government have confirmed the fall and expressed their readiness to hand over power, reassuring the revolutionaries that there will be no revenge or violence and that Syria will return to freedom, democracy and the rule of law. The Syrian Prime Minister broadcasted a televised statement confirming the fall of the regime and expressed his readiness to conduct a peaceful handover process.

"Factions" announce the overthrow of the "tyrant" and Damascus is a "free city"
Beirut: "Asharq Al-Awsat"/December 7, 2024
The Syrian opposition factions announced at dawn on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad had left Damascus, calling on the displaced abroad to return to "free Syria" after declaring Damascus "free from the tyrant." The opposition factions said in messages published via the Telegram application, "The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled" and "We declare the city of Damascus free," adding, "After 50 years of oppression under the rule of the Baath, and 13 years of crime, tyranny and displacement (...) we announce today (...) the end of this dark era and the beginning of a new era for Syria." For his part, Hadi al-Bahra, the leader of the main Syrian opposition faction abroad, said today, Sunday, that Damascus is now "without Bashar al-Assad."

Damascus in the grip of the "factions" and Assad leaves by air... and the army announces the "fall of the regime"
Beirut: "Asharq Al-Awsat"/December 7, 2024
A well-informed Syrian military source told Reuters that the Syrian army command informed officers of the fall of the regime shortly after the armed factions announced that they had entered the capital, Damascus, while two senior officers in the Syrian army revealed that President Bashar al-Assad left the country on a plane to an unknown destination. Witnesses reported that thousands of Syrians in cars and on foot gathered in a main square in Damascus and chanted for freedom. The opposition forces said, "We announce to the Syrian people the news of the liberation of our prisoners and the removal of their chains, and the announcement of the end of the era of injustice in Sednaya prison." Sednaya is a large military prison on the outskirts of Damascus where the Syrian government had been detaining thousands. Data from the Flight Radar website indicated that a Syrian Airlines plane took off from Damascus airport at the same time that news of fighters taking control of the capital was reported. The plane had initially flown towards Syria's coastal region, a stronghold of Assad's Alawite sect, but then abruptly changed course and flew in the opposite direction for a few minutes before disappearing from the map. Reuters could not immediately confirm the identity of those on board. Hours earlier, Syrian rebels claimed full control of the key city of Homs early on Sunday after just one day of fighting, threatening Assad's 24-year rule. Two Damascus residents said on Sunday they heard heavy gunfire in the centre of the capital, but its source was not immediately clear. In rural areas southwest of the capital, young locals and former rebel fighters took advantage of the absence of authorities to take to the streets in defiance of Assad's rule. Thousands of Homs residents took to the streets after the army withdrew from the city, dancing and chanting "Assad has gone, Homs is free" and "Long live Syria, down with Bashar al-Assad." Rebel fighters fired shots into the air in celebration, and young men tore up pictures of the Syrian president, whose control over the country collapsed with the shock week-long army withdrawal. Syrian Prime Minister: We are ready to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the people

Syrian Prime Minister: We are ready to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the people
Beirut: “Asharq Al-Awsat”/December 7, 2024
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad al-Jalali said, at dawn on Sunday, that he is “ready to cooperate” with any leadership chosen by the people and any “handover” of power procedures, with the opposition factions announcing the beginning of entering the capital. Al-Jalali announced in a speech broadcast via his Facebook account, “This country can be a normal state, a state that builds good relations with its neighbors and with the world (...) but this matter is left to any leadership chosen by the Syrian people. We are ready to cooperate with it so that we provide them with all possible facilities.”

Syrian army command tells officers that Assad's rule has ended
Reuters/December 08, 2024
AMMAN/BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Assad flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments.Thousands in cars and on foot congregated at a main square in Damascus waving and chanting “Freedom,” witnesses said. “We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of freeing our prisoners and releasing their chains and announcing the end of the era of injustice in Sednaya prison,” said the rebels. Sednaya is a large military prison on the outskirts Damascus where the Syrian government detained thousands. A Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport around the time the capital was reported to have been taken by rebels, according to data from the Flightradar website.The aircraft initially flew toward Syria’s coastal region, a stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect, but then made an abrupt U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for a few minutes before disappearing off the map.Reuters could not immediately ascertain who was on board. Just hours earlier, rebels announced they had gained full control of the key city of Homs after only a day of fighting, leaving Assad’s 24-year rule dangling by a thread. Intense sounds of shooting were heard in the center of the Damascus, two residents said on Sunday, although it was not immediately clear what the source of the shooting was. In rural areas southwest of the capital, local youths and former rebels took advantage of the loss of authority to come to the streets in acts of defiance against the Assad family’s authoritarian rule.
Thousands of Homs residents poured onto the streets after the army withdrew from the central city, dancing and chanting “Assad is gone, Homs is free” and “Long live Syria and down with Bashar Assad.”Rebels fired into the air in celebration, and youths tore down posters of the Syrian president, whose territorial control has collapsed in a dizzying week-long retreat by the military. The fall of Homs gives the insurgents control over Syria’s strategic heartland and a key highway crossroads, severing Damascus from the coastal region that is the stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect and where his Russian allies have a naval base and air base.Homs’ capture is also a powerful symbol of the rebel movement’s dramatic comeback in the 13-year-old conflict. Swathes of Homs were destroyed by gruelling siege warfare between the rebels and the army years ago. The fighting ground down the insurgents, who were forced out.
Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham commander Abu Mohammed Al-Golani, the main rebel leader, called the capture of Homs a historic moment and urged fighters not to harm “those who drop their arms.”Rebels freed thousands of detainees from the city prison. Security forces left in haste after burning their documents.
Residents of numerous Damascus districts turned out to protest Assad on Saturday evening, and security forces were either unwilling or unable to clamp down. Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghani said in a statement early Sunday that operations were ongoing to “completely liberate” the countryside around Damascus and rebel forces were looking toward the capital. In one suburb, a statue of Assad’s father, the late President Hafez Assad, was toppled and torn apart. The Syrian army said it was reinforcing around Damascus, and state television reported on Saturday that Assad remained in the city.
Outside the city, rebels swept across the entire southwest over 24 hours and established control.
Existential threat to Assad rule
The fall of Homs and threat to the capital pose an immediate existential danger to the Assad dynasty’s five-decade reign over Syria and the continued influence there of its main regional backer, Iran. The pace of events has stunned Arab capitals and raised fears of a new wave of regional instability.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Turkiye and Russia issued a joint statement saying the crisis was a dangerous development and calling for a political solution. But there was no indication they agreed on any concrete steps, with the situation inside Syria changing by the hour.
Syria’s civil war, which erupted in 2011 as an uprising against Assad’s rule, dragged in big outside powers, created space for jihadist militants to plot attacks around the world and sent millions of refugees into neighboring states. Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, the strongest rebel group, is the former Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria regarded by the US and others as a terrorist organization, and many Syrians remain fearful it will impose draconian Islamist rule. Golani has tried to reassure minorities that he will not interfere with them and the international community that he opposes Islamist attacks abroad. In Aleppo, which the rebels captured a week ago, there have not been reports of reprisals. When asked on Saturday whether he believed Golani, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov replied, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group withdrew from the Syrian city of Qusayr on the border with Lebanon before rebel forces seized it, Syrian army sources said on Sunday.At least 150 armored vehicles carrying hundreds of Hezbollah fighters left the city, long a point on the route for arms transfers and fighters moving in and out of Syria, the sources said. Israel hit one of the convoys as it was departing, one source said.
Allies' role in supporting Assad
Assad long relied on allies to subdue the rebels. Russian warplanes conducted bombing while Iran sent allied forces including Hezbollah and Iraqi militia to reinforce the Syrian military and storm insurgent strongholds. But Russia has been focused on the war in Ukraine since 2022 and Hezbollah has suffered big losses in its own gruelling war with Israel, significantly limiting its ability or that of Iran to bolster Assad. US President-elect Donald Trump has said the US should not be involved in the conflict and should “let it play out.”

Syrian insurgents say they have entered Damascus as residents of capital report sounds of gunfire
Bassem Mroue And Zeina Karam/The Associated Press/December 7, 2024
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian insurgents said early Sunday they had entered Damascus as residents of the capital reported sounds of gunfire. There was no immediate official statement from the Syrian government. The insurgents also announced they had entered the notorious Saydnaya military prison north of the capital and “liberated our prisoners” there.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
Insurgents' stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the gates of the capital and that government forces had abandoned the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country.
The loss of Homs was a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus, the capital, and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM news outlet reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies withdrew from the city, adding that rebels entered parts of it.
The insurgency announced later Saturday that it had taken over Homs. The city's capture was a major victory for the rebels, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama, as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said rebel control of Homs would be a game-changer.
The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. For the first time in the country’s long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus.
The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad's government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. The rapid rebel gains, coupled with the lack of support from Assad's erstwhile allies, posed the most serious threat to his rule since the start of the war. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called Saturday for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad's chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.”
In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria's border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.”It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution.
Assad's status
Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he was performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine. Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad's forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Separately, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser said the Biden administration had no intention of intervening there. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation of a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015 and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. In a statement, the participants affirmed their support for a political solution to the Syrian crisis “that would lead to the end of military activity and protect civilians.” They also agreed on the importance of strengthening international efforts to increase aid to the Syrian people.
The insurgents' march
Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth-largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra, including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists." The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south.The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011.
Diplomacy in Doha
The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process.
**Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; Josef Federman and Victoria Eastwood in Doha, Qatar; and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.
Bassem Mroue And Zeina Karam, The Associated Press

Syria rebels enter strategic city of Homs
Agence France Presse/December 7, 2024
A war monitor said late Saturday that Islamist-led rebels had entered the strategic city of Homs, on the way towards Damascus where Syria's embattled government said it was setting up an impenetrable security cordon. The capture of Homs, Syria's third-largest city, would cut the seat of power in the capital Damascus from the Mediterranean coast, a key bastion of the Assad clan which has ruled Syria for the past five decades. Homs would be the third major city seized by the rebels who began their advance 10 days ago, reigniting a years-long war that had become largely dormant. "Rebel factions entered the city of Homs and took control of some neighborhoods after the withdrawal of security forces and the army from their last positions in the city," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, of the rebel alliance that launched the offensive, said on Telegram that "our forces have begun advancing into the city of Homs."Aron Lund, a fellow of the Century International think tank, has said that should the government of President Bashar al-Assad lose Homs, it wouldn't mean the end of his rule, but "with no secure route from Damascus to the coast, I'd say it's over as a credible state entity." In Damascus, about 140 kilometers (85 miles) south of Homs, Interior Minister Mohammed al-Rahmoun told state television that "a very strong security and military cordon" was being established around the capital "and no one... can penetrate this defensive line that we, the armed forces, are building."
Earlier, Assad's government denied the army had withdrawn from areas around Damascus.
'Scared' -
Rebel commander Ghani had said his forces had "begun the final phase of encircling the capital."The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group which heads the assault, told fighters to prepare to take the capital. "Damascus awaits you," he said on Telegram, using his real name instead of his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. Residents of the capital described to AFP a state of panic as traffic jams clogged the city center, people sought supplies and queued to withdraw money from ATMs. "The situation was not like this when I left my house this morning... suddenly everyone was scared," said one woman, Rania. A few kilometrers away, the mood was starkly different. In a Damascus suburb, witnesses said protesters toppled a statue of Assad's father, the late president Hafez al-Assad. AFPTV images from Hama, Syria's fourth-largest city, showed abandoned tanks and other armored vehicles, one of them on fire. Hama resident Kharfan Mansour said he was "happy with the liberation of Hama and the liberation of Syria from the Assad regime." The president's office denied reports Assad had left Damascus, saying he was "following up on his work and national and constitutional duties from the capital."
Soldiers 'fled' -
As government forces fall back, a war monitor and Abdel Ghani said rebels were within 20 kilometers of Damascus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces had ceded more key ground, losing control of all southern Daraa province, cradle of the 2011 uprising. The army said it was "redeploying and repositioning" in Daraa and another southern province, Sweida. The Britain-based Observatory said troops were also evacuating posts in Quneitra, near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Jordan has urged its citizens to leave neighboring Syria "as soon as possible," as have Assad ally Russia and the United States, which both keep troops in Syria. An AFP correspondent in Daraa saw local fighters guarding public property and civil institutions. In Sweida, a local fighter told AFP that after government forces withdrew "from their positions and headquarters, we are now securing and protecting vital facilities." An Iraqi security source told AFP that Baghdad has allowed in hundreds of Syrian soldiers, who "fled the front lines," through the Al-Qaim border crossing. A second source put the figure at 2,000 troops, including officers.
'Tired of war' -
HTS is rooted in the Syrian branch of al-Qaida. Proscribed as a terrorist organization by Western governments, it has sought to soften its image in recent years, and told minority groups living in areas they now control not to worry. Since the offensive began, at least 826 people, mostly combatants but also including 111 civilians, have been killed, the Observatory said. The United Nations said the violence has displaced 370,000 people. U.N. special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, called for "urgent political talks" to implement Security Council Resolution 2254 of 2015, which set out a roadmap for a negotiated settlement. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the United States should "not get involved", after outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Friday for a "political solution to the conflict", in a call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. After Fidan and his Iranian and Russian counterparts discussed Syria in Qatar on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said they agreed on the initiation of "political dialogue between the Syrian government and legitimate opposition groups."Russia's Sergei Lavrov said it was "inadmissible" to allow a "terrorist group to take control" of Syrian territory. Moscow and Tehran have supported Assad's government and army during the war, as has Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. A source close to Hezbollah said it had sent 2,000 fighters into Syria, to an area near the Lebanese border, "to defend its positions." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government backs some armed groups in northern Syria, said Saturday that Syria "is tired of war, blood and tears."

Golan Heights tension: Israel breaches Syrian border to create buffer zone, reinforces troops
LBCI/December 7, 2024
In the border region of the Golan Heights, Israel has breached the frontier into restricted Syrian territories it had not entered since the 1975 Agreement on Disengagement. Prioritizing its security, Israel is implementing a plan to establish a buffer zone within Syrian territory, including constructing barriers and trenches along the "ceasefire line."Field observations indicate that the Israeli army has expanded its deployment along significant stretches of the border, using bulldozers and equipment to conduct excavation work inside Syrian territory beyond the barbed-wire fence separating the two countries. These activities, concentrated in the ceasefire zone, aim to complete the buffer zone. Meanwhile, in the Golan Heights, medical unit buses have been seen, and explosions were reportedly heard from Quneitra and Alonei Habashan. From Mount Hermon to Tiberias in the south, the Israeli army has reinforced its troop presence along the border. An army spokesperson further stated that all necessary precautions have been taken to prevent movements from the Syrian side that could threaten Israel's security. Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the army to maintain a high level of readiness and continue monitoring developments around the clock. Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been holding consultations with security officials and select ministers. He is also scheduled to convene a security cabinet meeting on Monday to address developments in Syria. An Israeli security official stressed that Israel is intensifying its strikes on targets in Syria to prevent the transfer of Iranian weapons to the country and Hezbollah.  Additionally, according to the official, Israel is prepared to assist Kurds and Druze, who seek help, while the army is taking measures to prevent the infiltration of militants or civilians fleeing the battles into Israeli territory.

Iran FM urges 'political dialogue' between Syria govt., opposition
Agence France Presse/December 7, 2024
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called for "political dialogue" between the Syrian government and opposition groups after a lightning offensive by rebel forces. After talks with Russian and Turkish foreign ministers on Syria, Araghchi said parties agreed on the initiation of "political dialogue between the Syrian government and the legitimate opposition groups."

Syrian protesters topple statue of Syrian president's father south of Damascus city, residents and activists say
Reuters/December 7, 2024
Protesters brought down the statue of the late father of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a main square in Jermana suburb, nearly ten kilometers from the centre of Damascus, a witness and activists told Reuters. The protesters in the mainly Druze inhabited suburb, who called for the downfall of Assad, also headed to government buildings in the heavily policed area of the capital where several security branches are located, they said. The protesters headed to security offices to demand they evacuate from their area, activist Ryan Marouf, editor of Suwayda 24, a website that covers the province, told Reuters. The authorities have tolerated most protests by the country's Druze minority, unlike in other government-held areas where demonstrators are fired on by security forces. In a rare act of defiance in areas under Assad's rule, protesters also tore down posters of Assad, where the party has promoted a personality cult around him and his late father, former president Hafez al-Assad. Last night saw clashes in the predominately Druze city of Suweida that led to at least five people being killed when local Druze militias raided the city's main police station, overran security offices and freed prisoners from the main prison In Deraa city to the west of Suweida city, where former rebels and dissidents took control after the army pulled out its troops, a statue of Assad was brought down last night, residents said, as people fired gunshots in celebration.

Syrian troops withdraw from the south of the country as they rush to defend Homs
Bassem Mroue/BEIRUT (AP)/December 7, 2024
The Syrian army withdrew from much of southern Syria on Saturday, leaving more areas of the country, including two provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters, the military and an opposition war monitor said. The redeployment away from the provinces of Daraa and Sweida came as Syria’s military sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as insurgents approached its outskirts. The rapid advances by insurgents is a stunning reversal of fortunes for Syria's President Bashar Assad, who appears to be largely on his own, with erstwhile allies preoccupied with other conflicts. His chief international backer, Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine, and Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up his forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran, meanwhile, has seen its proxies across the region degraded by Israeli regular airstrikes. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syria war monitor, reported Saturday that Iran’s military advisers have started leaving Syria. He added that Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria, mainly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, have withdrawn into central Syria. The shock offensive began Nov. 27 led by the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth largest city. The group has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani told CNN in an exclusive interview Thursday from Syria that the aim of the offensive is to overthrow Assad’s government. The Britain-based Observatory said Syrian troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces and are sending reinforcements to Homs, where a battle is looming. If the insurgents capture Homs, they would cut the link between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where the president enjoys wide support. The Syrian army said in a statement Saturday that it has carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists.” The army said it is setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south. Since Syria’s conflict broke out in March 2011, the Syrian government has been referring to opposition gunmen as terrorists. In the gas-rich nation of Qatar, the foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey were scheduled to meet to discuss the situation in Syria. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels seeking to overthrow Assad.
Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. After the fall of the cities of Daraa and Sweida early Saturday, Syrian government forces remain in control of five provincial capitals — Damascus, Homs and Quneitra, as well as Latakia and Tartus on the Mediterranean cost. Tartus is home to the only Russian naval base outside the former Soviet Union while Latakia is home to a major Russian air base. On Friday, U.S.-backed fighters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces captured wide parts of the eastern province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq as well as the provincial capital that carries the same name. The capture of areas in Deir el-Zour is a blow to Iran’s influence in the region as the area is the gateway to the corridor linking the Mediterranean to Iran, a supply line for Iran-backed fighters, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah. With the capture of a main border crossing with Iraq by the SDF and after opposition fighters took control of the Naseeb border crossing to Jordan in southern Syria, the Syrian government's only gateway to the outside world is the Masnaa border crossing with Lebanon.

Trump says US should stay out of fighting in Syria as opposition forces gain ground
Ellen Knickmeyer, Will Weissert And Tara Copp/WASHINGTON (AP)/December 7, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that the U.S. military should stay out of the escalating conflict in Syria as a shock opposition offensive closes in on the capital, declaring in a social media post, "THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT.”With world leaders watching the rapid rebel advance against Syria's Russian- and Iranian-backed president, Bashar Assad, President Joe Biden's national security adviser separately stressed that the Biden administration had no intention of intervening. “The United States is not going to ... militarily dive into the middle of a Syrian civil war," Jake Sullivan told an audience in California. He said the U.S. would keep acting as necessary to keep the Islamic State — a violently anti-Western extremist group not known to be involved in the offensive but with sleeper cells in Syria's deserts — from exploiting openings presented by the fighting. Insurgents’ stunning march across Syria sped faster Saturday, reaching the gates of Damascus and government forces abandoning the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that Assad had fled the country. Trump's comments on the dramatic rebel push were his first since Syrian rebels launched their advance late last month. They came while he was in Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral. In his post, Trump said Assad did not deserve U.S. support to stay in power. Assad's government has been propped up by the Russian and Iranian military, along with Hezbollah and other Iranian-allied militias, in a now 13-year-old war against opposition groups seeking his overthrow. The war, which began as a mostly peaceful uprising in 2011 against the Assad family's rule, has killed a half-million people, fractured Syria and drawn in a more than a half-dozen foreign militaries and militias.
The insurgents are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist group and says has links to al-Qaida, although the group has since broken ties with al-Qaida. The insurgents have met little resistance so far from the Syrian army, the Russian and Iranian militaries or allied militias in the country. The Biden administration says Syrian opposition forces' capture of government-held cities demonstrates just how diminished those countries are by wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon. “Assad’s backers — Iran, Russia and Hezbollah — have all been weakened and distracted," Sullivan said Saturday at an annual gathering of national security officials, defense companies and lawmakers at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. “None of them are prepared to provide the kind of support to Assad that they provided in the past,” he later added.
The U.S. has about 900 troops in Syria, including U.S. forces working with Kurdish allies in the opposition-held northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. Gen. Bryan Fenton, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, said he would not want to speculate on how the upheaval in Syria would affect the U.S. military’s footprint in the country. “It’s still too early to tell,” he said. What would not change is the focus on disrupting IS operations in Syria and protecting U.S. troops, Fenton said during a panel at the Reagan event.
Syrian opposition activists and regional officials have been watching closely for any indication from the incoming Trump administration, in particular on how the U.S. would respond to the rebel advances against Assad. Robert Wilkie, Trump's defense transition chief and a former secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, said during the same panel that the collapse of the “murderous Assad regime” would be a major blow to Iran's power. The United Nations' special envoy for Syria called Saturday for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition” in Syria.
In his post, Trump said Russia “is so tied up in Ukraine” that it “seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years.” He said rebels could possibly force Assad from power.
The president-elect condemned the overall U.S. handling of the war but said the routing of Assad and Russian forces might be for the best.
“Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” he wrote in Saturday's post. An influential Syrian opposition activist in Washington, Mouaz Moustafa, interrupted a briefing to reporters to read Trump’s post and appeared to choke up. He said Trump’s declaration that the U.S. should stay out of the fight was the best outcome that the the Syrians aligned against Assad could hope for. Rebels have been freeing political detainees of the Assad government from prisons as they advance across Syria, taking cities. Moustafa pledged to reporters Saturday that opposition forces would be alert for any U.S. detainees among them and do their utmost to protect them. Moustafa said that includes Austin Tice, an American journalist missing for more than a decade and suspected to be held by Assad. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham renounced al-Qaida in 2016 and has worked to rebrand itself, including cracking down on some Islamic extremist groups and fighters in its territory and portraying itself as a protector of Christians and other religious minorities. While the U.S. and United Nations still designate it as a terrorist organization, Trump's first administration told lawmakers that the U.S. was no longer targeting the group's leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani.

At least 20 killed in Gaza as Qatar voices hope for ceasefire
Reuters/December 7, 2024
CAIRO (Reuters) - Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 20 Palestinians on Saturday, local health officials said, as Qatar voiced hope of fresh momentum in efforts to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reported strikes in Gaza City and Rafah. At least eight of the fatalities were civilians, according to residents and medics. It was unclear whether the rest of those killed were fighters and Reuters could not independently verify the figures. Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Qatar was engaging with the incoming Trump administration on Gaza after sensing fresh momentum for ceasefire talks following the U.S. election. Donald Trump's Middle East envoy has travelled to Qatar and Israel to kick-start the U.S. President elect's diplomatic push for a ceasefire and hostage release deal before his inauguration on Jan. 20, a source briefed on the talks told Reuters on Thursday. The war in Gaza has been raging for over 14 months, with much of the enclave laid to waste and more than 44,000 Palestinians killed, according to Gaza health authorities, as Israeli forces continue their drive to wipe out Hamas and rescue hostages taken by the militant group. The deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in decades began when Hamas stormed into Israel on Oct.7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages back to Gaza. In the occupied West Bank on Saturday, a Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces at a checkpoint, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Police said a security guard had shot him after he threw firecrackers at the forces there and that a knife was found on his person. (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo, Ali Swafta in Ramallah and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; editing by Clelia Oziel)

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on December 07-08/2024
Make Persia Great Again
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute./December 7, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/12/137720/
Unlike Iran's regime, the country's people are overwhelmingly pro-American and pro-Jewish -- sentiments rooted in a historical alliance that made Iran the closest ally of both Israel and the United States before the mullahs came to power. The regime's anti-American and antisemitic stance is an affront to the true nature of its citizens, who yearn for peace and global partnership.
Without the oppressive ruling mullahs, Iran could once again be a force for good, both domestically and globally. Freed from their brutal rulers, the Iranian people could channel their immense talent and potential into rebuilding their nation as a thriving hub of innovation, culture and prosperity. This revival would not only uplift Iran but also finally bring peace and stability to the Middle East and beyond, setting an example of what a liberated, flourishing nation can achieve.
Finally, there should be no negotiations, deals or trades with the regime. Such engagements only empower and legitimize the mullahs while undermining the people's struggle for freedom.
The time has come to support the cause of the Iranian people and ensure that this great nation, with its rich history and boundless potential, rises once more – without mullahs.
Without the oppressive ruling mullahs, Iran could once again be a force for good, both domestically and globally. Freed from their brutal rulers, the Iranian people could channel their immense talent and potential into rebuilding their nation as a thriving hub of innovation, culture and prosperity.
Historically known as Persia, Iran stands as one of the most illustrious civilizations in human history. For centuries, it was a beacon of cultural, scientific and political advancements, earning respect and admiration across the globe. This legacy of greatness persisted until 1979, when a group of Islamic fundamentalists, obsessed with religion, hijacked a revolution that drastically altered the nation's trajectory.
The mullahs seized control, installing a theocratic Islamist regime that has since ruled with an iron fist — arguably one of history's most brutal and oppressive reigns. The proud heritage of a nation that once symbolized enlightenment and progress has been overshadowed by a reign marked by suppression, regression and fear.
What the people of Iran longed for during the 1979 revolution was democracy, freedom and the opportunity to thrive in a modern world. Yet, with astonishing speed, the mullahs seized their aspirations, transforming a country celebrated as a regional hub of hope, prosperity, and progress into an economically and politically bankrupt state. For more than four decades, the Islamist regime has steered Iran toward ruin, not only dismantling its potential but also weaponizing its resources for militant agendas that sow chaos far beyond its borders. The contrast between what Iran was and what it has become under this regime is both tragic and stark.
Ironically, Iran's current regime stands in direct contrast to the values and character of the majority of the Iranian people. The Iranian populace is largely democratic in spirit, open-minded and highly educated, as evidenced by their repeated uprisings against the dictatorship. In recent years, several nationwide protests have erupted, demonstrating the people's resilience and their desire to reclaim their country. However, each of these movements has been met with unimaginable brutality.
Unlike Iran's regime, the country's people are overwhelmingly pro-American and pro-Jewish -- sentiments rooted in a historical alliance that made Iran the closest ally of both Israel and the United States before the mullahs came to power. The regime's anti-American and antisemitic stance is an affront to the true nature of its citizens, who yearn for peace and global partnership.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a powerful message directed at the Iranian people, recently captured this sentiment. He distinguished between the oppressive regime and the citizens of Iran:
"When Iran is finally free—and that moment will come a lot sooner than people think—everything will be different. Our two ancient peoples, the Jewish people and the Persian people, will be at peace."
His words, which resonated deeply among the citizens of Iran, emphasized the shared history and potential for renewed friendship between these two great nations once the regime falls.
The call to "Make Persia Great Again" reflects the collective will of the Iranian people to reclaim their nation's dignity and restore its historical prominence. Yet, the regime continues to suppress its own people, not to mention those around them. The facade of Iran created by the regime is so utterly disconnected from the aspirations of its citizens.
Beyond the domestic repression, the regime has also become a global menace, forging ties with Venezuela's Tren De Aragua criminal organization, which is active in more than 16 states in the US; supporting terrorist proxy groups in Lebanon, Yemen and the Gaza Strip, which are attacking Israel; arming Russia in its war on Ukraine, and making alliances with authoritarian regimes in Africa to plunder their resources and expand Iran's reach.
This network of chaos and terror underscores the extent to which the regime misuses Iran's assets, perpetuating instability instead of fostering development and peace.
Without the oppressive ruling mullahs, Iran could once again be a force for good, both domestically and globally. Freed from their brutal rulers, the Iranian people could channel their immense talent and potential into rebuilding their nation as a thriving hub of innovation, culture and prosperity. This revival would not only uplift Iran but also finally bring peace and stability to the Middle East and beyond, setting an example of what a liberated, flourishing nation can achieve.
What must be done to bring about this change? First, the West must take decisive action to weaken the regime politically and economically. The most stringent sanctions should be enforced to cut off Iran's oil and gas revenues, with strict penalties for any country that violates these measures. Second, targeted operations should neutralize the regime's nuclear facilities, ensuring that it cannot develop nuclear weapons. Third, military strikes on key military and oil infrastructure could send a strong message that the world will no longer tolerate belligerence. Fourth, the global community must unequivocally support the Iranian people, pledging solidarity if they rise against their oppressors. Finally, there should be no negotiations, deals or trades with the regime. Such engagements only empower and legitimize the mullahs while undermining the people's struggle for freedom.
The time has come to support the cause of the Iranian people and ensure that this great nation, with its rich history and boundless potential, rises once more – without mullahs. "Make Persia Great Again."
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, is a scholar, strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated analyst, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on the US Foreign Policy and Islam. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21180/make-persia-great-again

Peace dividend: 80 years of US-Saudi relations
Jonathan Gornall/Arab News/December 07, 2024
On Feb. 14, 2025, it will be exactly 80 years since King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia stepped aboard a US warship moored in the Suez Canal for a historic meeting with American President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Roosevelt had a great deal on his mind. In Europe, where Soviet troops were within 60 km of Berlin, the Second World War was drawing to its bloody conclusion, but in the Far East the conflict was a long way from ending. As he welcomed King Abdulaziz aboard the USS Quincy in Egypt’s Great Bitter Lake, Roosevelt knew that in five days’ time thousands of US Marines would die in a costly battle to seize the Pacific island of Iwo Jima.
The storming of the island of Okinawa, the last battle before an anticipated invasion of the Japanese home islands, would follow on April 1. This would prove even more bloody, costing the lives of 100,000 American and Japanese soldiers.
The president, who in 1942 had launched the top-secret Manhattan Project, was wrestling with an epoch-defining decision: whether to end the war by using the world’s first nuclear weapons.
But in February 1945, Roosevelt, on his way back to the US from the Yalta conference of the soon-to-be-victorious Allies, made time to meet the man known in the West as Ibn Saud — the enigmatic leader who in 1932 had successfully united the tribes of Najd and Hijaz under the banner of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Roosevelt knew that, even as the Second World War was drawing to a close, in the wings a new world order was taking shape — and that Saudi Arabia was a nation that the US needed to befriend.
The president did not have long to live — in two months’ time he would be dead. But the meeting with King Abdulaziz was the first step toward a close relationship between the two countries that has endured for the past eight decades.
Eighty years is a mere blink of the eye of time — there are Saudis alive today who were alive when the president met the king. Yet in that time the Kingdom has developed beyond all recognition, and its influence on the world stage has grown exponentially. On the eve of a new year fraught with uncertainty, that influence is set to play a pivotal role in the thinking of key players, including the new US president-elect, as the Middle East seeks to turn its back on death and destruction and looks forward with hope to a future of peace and prosperity.
It was not by chance that during his first presidency President Donald Trump’s first official overseas trip, in May 2017, was to Saudi Arabia. At the time the visit was portrayed in Western media as a departure from diplomatic norms, but in fact since 1974 no fewer than eight US presidents have followed Roosevelt eastward and walked on Saudi soil in recognition of the reality that the Kingdom is an influential locus of security and stability in an otherwise troubled and unstable region.
It is not yet known where President-elect Trump’s travels will take him after his inauguration on Jan. 20. But what is clear is that his administration will be looking toward Saudi Arabia as a key partner in Trump’s declared intention to end the war in Palestine and Lebanon swiftly. The Americans are not alone in looking to the Kingdom as a vital partner.
The Americans are not alone in looking to Saudi Arabia as a vital partner in diplomacy and commerce, as the recent appearances of British Princess Beatrice at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh and, with her sister Princess Eugenie, at the World Economic Forum meeting in the city in April testify.
The upcoming visit to the Kingdom of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is further evidence of the extent to which the polarity of the relationship between the two countries has reversed since the days when Britain rather highhandedly considered the Arabian Peninsula to be within its sphere of influence.
Eighty years ago, Roosevelt saw that the postwar world would become increasingly dependent on the emerging oil reserves of Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states.
But his meeting with King Abdulaziz in 1945 had a second purpose — to persuade the most influential leader on the Arabian Peninsula that, in the wake of the Nazi persecution of Europe’s Jews, Palestine should become a Jewish homeland.
On this matter the king was adamant, and prescient.
At their meeting, with his words recorded by an American translator, the Saudi ruler had told Roosevelt that “amends should be made by the criminal, not by the innocent bystander. “What injury have Arabs done to the Jews of Europe?” he asked. “It is the ‘Christian’ Germans who stole their homes and lives. Let the Germans pay.”King Abdulaziz felt so strongly that a great catastrophe was about to be unleashed on the Middle East that after their meeting he wrote to Roosevelt to press his case again.
“To install Jews from every horizon in this sacred Muslim Arab country,” would be “a calamitous and infamous miscarriage of justice,” he wrote in a letter dated April 30, 1945. The Jews, he predicted, “will do wrong to the quiet and peaceful Arabs. The Heavens will split, the earth will be rent asunder, and the mountains will tremble at what the Jews claim in Palestine, both materially and spiritually.”
Three years after the historic meeting on board the USS Quincy, on May 14, 1948, Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel, which was recognized by US President Harry S. Truman, Roosevelt’s successor, that same day. The tragic consequences of the Jewish colonial adventure, foretold by King Abdulaziz, are still with us. It can only be hoped that in 2025 the relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia, begun 80 years ago and alive today in the affinity between Trump and a Saudi leadership committed to sovereignty for the Palestinian people, might yet yield the long overdue dividend of peace, prosperity, and justice for the Arabs of Palestine.
• Jonathan Gornall is a British journalist, formerly with The Times, who has lived and worked in the Middle East and is now based in the UK.

‘Britain is back’ as trade horizons widen
Andrew Hammond/Arab News/December 07, 2024
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been the subject of recent UK media criticism suggesting that he has spent too much time on foreign policy in his first 150 days in office. However, he hit back this week declaring that “Britain is back on the world stage” and asserting, rightly, that this could help drive a new era of domestic prosperity for the nation. Giving the annual Lord Mayor’s Banquet speech in London, a major address on foreign policy, Starmer pledged that renewed, post-Brexit UK international engagement will help drive much-needed domestic economic growth. In coming months, the UK intends to continue a series of business trade missions, including to the Middle East. One of the biggest, potential longer-term opportunities comes with the UK’s accession on Dec. 15 to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the big trade bloc stretching from the Asia-Pacific to the Americas. While the UK will be a clear geographical “outlier” among the agreement members, the move makes a reality of aspirations, post-Brexit, to strengthen ties with longstanding allies outside Europe — in effect, trying to create a stronger business “bridge” from Europe to the Asia-Pacific and the Americas.
The CPTPP opportunity is seen most accurately as a long-term opportunity for Britain. The last UK government’s impact assessment declared that the economic gains will be fairly small in the medium term — only around .08 percent of gross domestic product over the next decade.
However, optimists such as UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who helped promote the deal as a former UK trade and business secretary, argue that the partnership is akin to a “startup”. She says that those 10-year estimates do not account for the fact that some members — for example, Vietnam — are rapidly growing in importance in global trade. She also flags that a key perk of the new deal is greater access to all CPTPP markets, including a pledge to eliminate or reduce the overwhelming majority of import charges or tariffs.
It will be some years before it is possible to know if Badenoch is proven right, or not. However, what is much surer already is that CPTPP opportunities for the UK will be heavily country and sector specific, at least to begin with in the 2020s.
One of the most significant country opportunities, in the immediate term, may well be Malaysia, the only CPTPP nation apart from Brunei with which the UK does not have an existing trade agreement. While Malaysia is not in the UK’s largest, existing export destination, it is a growing market, and businesses will see some product-specific tariff and non-tariff barriers reduced as a direct result of CPTPP accession.
In terms of sectors, one of the significant opportunities might be in food and agriculture. For instance, with Malaysia and Brunei, UK manufacturers will eventually see removal of tariffs, including more-or-less complete removal on entry into force of Malaysian tariffs on a significant number of manufactured products, such as confectionary items.
The UK intends to continue a series of business trade missions, including to the Middle East. UK exports to the other CPTPP members could also become significantly more competitive. In part, this is because the deal cuts tariffs on a range of products, providing more competitive access for UK importers to many ingredients and raw materials used in UK manufacturing that either are not produced domestically or not in sufficient quantities. This includes access to a tariff-free cheese export quota and grain opportunities in Canada; additional access for dairy and cereals in Japan; dairy access in Chile; and the removal of tariffs on chocolate and confectionery, plus better beef and poultry access to Mexico.
CPTPP also provides more flexibility for manufacturers to access tariff-free trade. Rules of origin are the terms and conditions that dictate if a trader is able to access a preferential tariff in a trade agreement. CPTPP includes a single set of rules that offer alternatives for businesses to those in the UK’s existing trade agreements, and this may help to unlock additional opportunities for UK exporters.
On the metals and mineral resources front, it is hoped that all tariffs will eventually be eliminated on UK exports to Malaysia. There could also be opportunities in wider markets, too, including Australia, and Chile, which is part of the so-called “lithium triangle,” with just under two-thirds of global reserves collectively with Argentina and Bolivia. Another sector where there might be significant, new UK business opportunities is data flows. Joining CPTPP will help remove remaining barriers faced by UK-based companies, such as data localization requirements, ensuring data can flow between UK and CPTPP members.CPTPP accession may also help the UK become a significantly stronger international leader in digital trade, with modern rules on data and freer access to bloc-wide services sectors. Moreover, CPTPP accession could also help UK producers of items such as machinery and medicines — among the UK’s most valuable, existing exports to the bloc — by allowing them to expand supply chains across member nations.
Taken together, Starmer is right to argue that deeper UK international engagement, including in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Americas, can help boost UK prosperity in the generation ahead. While the CPTPP specifically will probably not yield game-changing economic opportunities in the 2020s, it may prove to be a significant source of UK growth in the second quarter of the 21st century and potentially beyond.
• Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.

Seaweed as a workhorse of the regenerative blue economy
Carlos Duarte/Arab News/December 07, 2024
As Saudi Arabia positions itself as a leader in the regenerative blue economy, combining sea-based activities with sustainable development, all eyes are turning to a long-overlooked resource: seaweed. Seaweed represents a group of about 10,000 photosynthetic multicellular species that grow in the lighted zone of the ocean, mostly attached to the seafloor. While it has provided economic and cultural benefits to Asia-Pacific nations for millennia, most people around the world, including in Saudi Arabia, are only aware of seaweed as an ingredient in sushi or miso soup.
As an indicator of this huge awareness gap, the first legal code governing the deployment of algal farms in Japan actually dates from the times of Prophet Muhammad. In the 21st century, seaweed is emerging as a valuable commodity for sustainable development, yet there remains massive untapped potential.
Every hectare of ocean can support seaweed farming, with the area that can be farmed sustainably estimated at 48 million sq. km, matching the global land area appropriated for agriculture. Seaweed farming is, within that ceiling, a regenerative crop, as it removes excess nutrients and carbon dioxide from seawater and provides habitat for marine life, contributing to water quality while mitigating climate change.
Seaweed products are healthy for consumers and are climate-positive, carrying a near-zero water footprint, and a zero-chemical footprint, as synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are not used in this industry. Seaweed is rising as the Swiss army knife of marine biotechnology. Crops can be processed to yield nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, high-value molecules, polymers displacing synthetic ones, biochar and biofuels.
All these products can be produced concurrently using biorefinery approaches, with their combined value potentially multiplying by at least 50-fold the value per tonne compared to conventional single-product uses. As a result, we are witnessing an algal revolution. Saudi Arabia’s aquaculture program under the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture includes seaweed farming, while Red Sea Global is exploring the potential of this regenerative marine crop.
Research led by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology has identified a range of promising compounds for pharma, which we named Thuwalallenes, from the Red Sea algae Laurencia. The Red Sea seaweed Asparagopsis is making headlines as a global climate solution.Feeding one spoonful of dried Asparagopsis to cows and other ruminants every other day has been found to greatly reduce methane production — something which accounts for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emission. Hence, a Red Sea seaweed farming industry can also be a tool to fight climate change at scale. This can be supported by the more than 200 species identified in the Red Sea, of which about 10 percent are unique to the region.
The blue economy of the Red Sea is open for business with huge investment opportunities. This includes regenerative tourism, led globally by Red Sea Global, nutrition, cosmetics, technology and energy.
Seaweed farming can contribute to many of these pillars, as a superfood, a source of material for biotechnology, biofuels, and, although historically overlooked, an intrinsic part of the natural capital of Saudi Arabia.
• Carlos Duarte is executive director of the global coral reef research and development accelerator platform at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology